First Year in College

After high school graduation, I had many changes occurring in my life. It was time to find a summer job to earn enough money for the tuition and other expenses at the University of Houston. I knew the sooner I got a job, the more I could begin saving for the first year. My part-time jobs during junior and high school involved working in grocery stores and at service stations. I learned a lot in each of those environments, however, I loved working on cars and working with my hands. I took a job working in a machine shop doing assembly work. It was extremely hot working in that shop and the work was hard and tiring. I made $1.00 per hour but it was 40 hours a week, so I made $40.00 each week. The older guys working there had fun picking on the new kid, but it was a valuable experience working with older more experienced men, then earning respect by working hard.

For most of my senior year in high school, I had been in a relationship with Pat and had not dated other girls during that period. That relationship ended right after graduation due to a misunderstanding and I began dating other girls. I went to several teen dances that summer where I met some girls, and I also dated some friends from my high school days. I remember thinking I had missed dating some girls in the senior class by going steady with Pat, who had graduated the year before. She was working and looking to get married, sooner than I was.

When classes started at U of H, I met some girls in my classes and other places on campus. With my major in Architectural Engineering, I was taking eighteen credit hours both semesters to try to finish in 4 years. That school year was busy and seemed to go by quickly. The car wreck during that year had caused major damage to my car. Most of what I earned with my part-time job went to buy parts to make repairs to be able to keep driving it. The car was still a good car, but it did not look like it. I went to some of the U of H games and to some of the Sam Houston games as well. I was asked to go to the Stardust Ball and to the Senior Prom that year, so I was involved at both places.

One of the girls I dated that year was the daughter of a woman that worked with my Mom at Barrick. The woman had been talking about the idea for a while and Mom finally asked me to take her daughter on a date. I did not want to ask her out for a couple of reasons, but I had never met her. I could think of a few ways it would be unwise and none that would benefit me. I do not remember why, but I did take that girl on one date. She was a sweet girl, but we had nothing in common and I am fairly sure that it was her first date. I decided that would be the last time I would let Mom be involved with my dating and told Mom that she could handle the conversation with her coworker.

During that same period, dating my younger sister’s friends was more fun and with fewer unknowns. Some of those dates were double dates with my sister to football games or dances including the Stardust Ball. Having a popular younger sister got me opportunities to go to homecoming games, and school dances, and a chance to date some cute girls. At that point, I was not wanting to have a relationship that could be considered “going steady”.

My college classes were more difficult than those in high school and the second semester was more challenging than the first. I was glad when I finished the last final and could think about a summer job and a break from classes. I knew I would start my job search by looking for work indoors and not in the heat like the summer before.